1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to reels and line dispensing and rewinding devices. More specifically, the present retrieval device relates to a retrieval device for tethered articles that is particularly well adapted for use by solo players practicing various sports for mechanized retrieval of a ball or other article, e.g., an arrow, having a tether attached thereto.
2. Description of the Related Art
So-called “stick and ball” sports, e.g., baseball and softball, football, soccer, etc., require a certain amount of ball handling skill on the part of participants. Players must be able to throw, pitch, hit, and/or kick the ball with reasonable accuracy, depending upon the specific game. The only real way to develop such skills is through practice, of course. While such activities are all team sports, there are many times when a player is unable to get together with others to practice such activities, and therefore must practice alone. Such solo practice oftentimes results in the player spending much more time retrieving the ball after hitting, kicking, or throwing it than is spent in the actual ball-handling activity itself.
This problem has been recognized by others in the past. Nets and the like are well known for restricting the travel of a kicked football during practice, and similar devices (backstops, targets, etc.) are used for pitching and throwing practice in baseball and softball. A problem with such restraining devices is that they often do not allow the ball to travel through its complete flight path, thereby preventing the player from observing the flight path of the ball and the point at which it comes to rest. This greatly restricts the utility of such devices as training aids, as the player does not receive the necessary feedback.
Still other devices have been developed in the past that allow a tethered ball to be hit, kicked, or thrown, and then retrieved by means of the tether. Many, if not most, such devices have been developed for use by golfers, although they might be adapted for use in retrieving other sports balls as well. A problem with most such devices is the orientation of the reel. If the reel axis is normal, to the path of the line dispersal, i.e., the line pays out generally horizontally from a reel with a vertical axis, then the reel must rotate in order to pay out the line. The inertia of the reel greatly restricts the momentum of the ball, particularly in the case of a relatively light ball, such as a golf ball. Moreover, the retrieval drive systems are generally relatively complex, incorporating belts, gears, and/or other intermediate mechanical components between the motor and the reel. In many cases, such devices have employed spring-actuated motors. Such devices are incapable of storing sufficient energy to provide more than a few retrievals, at best, before requiring rewinding of the spring by the user.
Thus, a retrieval device for tethered articles solving the aforementioned problems is desired.